6 Ways to Destroy Easter Peeps With Candy Experiments

What's more fun than eating Peeps? Destroying them with candy experiments!

Here are some favorite Peeps experiments from around the internet.

1. Peeps Duel

Have your Peeps duel each other. Stick a toothpick in each Peeps marshmallow and put two in the microwave facing each other. The first Peep to touch the other with a toothpick wins the duel.



2. Testing Stale Peeps

What can you do with old Peeps? Well, they won’t win any jousting contests.

When you microwave marshmallow Peeps, the water trapped inside turns to steam while the gelatin softens, causing the marshmallow to expand. But if the Peeps dry out and go stale, there’s less water to help them expand. That’s why stale Peeps don’t get nearly as big in the microwave--and why they won’t win the jousts.

Check out this Smithsonian video to learn more.


3. Smashing Peeps with Dry Ice

Want to smash Peeps with a hammer? Put them in a cooler with some dry ice. The dry ice freezes the water and gelatin, making your Easter candy as brittle as ice.



4. Giant Peeps, Shrinking Peeps

When you put marshmallows inside a sealed container and vacuum out the air, they grow! Let the air out again, and they collapse.



5. Sink a Peeps

Peeps float because they're less dense than water--all those air bubbles spread the sugar out. But if you smash the Peeps to destroy the air bubbles and make it smaller, you can teach it to swim!



6. Bleach the Peeps

Peeps are covered with colored sugar, which dissolves in water. But because the Peeps marshmallow contains gelatin, the marshmallow part doesn’t dissolve. Place the Peeps in water to create stripes!



Ultimate Destruction!

To see how the scientists destroy Peeps, watch these videos from the Great Lakes Science Center. See Peeps dissolve in sulferic acid, vaporize in molten chlorate, and get electrocuted!

Sinking Peeps and Marshmallows

This Peeps candy experiment sends marshmallows diving to the bottom of a bowl!
What you need:
  • Peeps marshmallow candies
  • Container of water
  • Cutting board and cornstarch (optional)

What to do:
  1. Smash the Peeps marshmallow by rolling it between your palms or flattening it against a hard surface.
    (Hint: sprinkle a cutting board with cornstarch and roll the Peeps in cornstarch to keep it from becoming too sticky as you smash it. You may want to flatten it with a rolling pin.)
  2. Roll the marshmallow into a ball to make it less buoyant.
  3. Drop the smashed Peeps in water.
  4. Does the candy sink?

What's happening:

To sink a Peeps marshmallow, you must make it denser by making it smaller. If you smash it to remove air bubbles and make the marshmallow more compact, you can make it denser than the water. Then it will sink.

Play a game with your friends to see who is strong enough to sink a marshmallow. Anyone who manages to sink a marshmallow becomes a marshmallow champion!